Hook for handling oil-well casings and the like



O 1929- B. s. MINOR ET AL 1,733,509

HOOK FOR HANDLING OIL WELL CASINGS AND\ THE LIKE Filed April 14, 1928 Patented Oct. 29, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BURT STANLEY W03, 01 SAN PEDRO, AN D JAMES J. LOS ANGELES, CALI- IORNIA, ASSIGNOBS TO BEGAN FORGE AN D ENGINEmING COMPANY, 01 SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OI CALIFORNIA HOOK FOB HANDLING OIL-WELL CASINGS AND 'IHE LIKE Application fled April 14,

The invention relates to oil well equipment and particularly to mechanism whereby casing, tubing, drill rod and the like may be raised and lowered in the well hole, this inven- 5 tion being especially designed as a supporting hook for easing, or, as the term is more commonly known in the industry, a casing hook.

The chief object of the invention is to provide a hook of this type wherein the development of planes or zones of fatigue in the bend or bight of the hook can be completely or entirely avoided. Heretofore with the ordinary form of hook, the huge strain imposed upon the bight thereof by the immense weight of casing being supported has resulted in the development of fatigue at the bend in the hook to such extent that the hook has cracked and the end thereof broken off. The present invention overcomes this difiiculty.

A further object of the invention is to provide a convenient and desirable closure for the hook which will ermit the reduction of the depth of the loop in the hook to the minimum.

The invention, stated briefly, resides in the employment of'a double hook, the two portions being arranged back to back whereby each receives part of the strain of the supported object, as through the medium of two links connected with the object. In this fashion the two hooks brace each other and the weight and strain is balanced. Preferably the construction is integral whereby the desired objective is more closely approached.

ticularly of the bights or bends, is massive, and thereby the tendency toward fatigue development is further reduced. An elongated horizontally rotatable latch or looking plate is mounted about the shank of the hook to close both hook portions, and in order that the depth of bend may be as little as possible, the ends of this plate are provided with overhanging lips which will clear the supported links as the latch plate is swung and will cooperate with the hook ends to enclose and retain the links when in operative position. The invention resides further in such other novel features as may be herein disclosed.

In the accompanying drawings wherein one Moreover, the construction of the hooks, par-.

1988. Serial No. 289,887.

embodiment of the invention is depicted by wary of illustration;

1g. 1, a combined vertical section and face elevation showing a hook of the present invention as supported by a swivel mounting to be attached to a traveling crown block.

Fig. 2, is an elevation at right angles to that of Fig. 1, and showing one end of the hook and its latch plate.

Fig. 3, 1s a detail of the hook and plate showing the latch plate in open position.

The hook is shown as being of massive construction and having a middle or body portion 10 and two opposed bends or bights 12 provided with upstanding ends or tips 14.

he bights 12 and their ends 14 taper upwardly as seen at 15 in Fig. 2, and the lower portion of the hook tapers downwardly as seen at 16. The shank 18 extends upward from the center and is provided at 20 with a collar upon which a latch plate 22 rotates, the ends of the latch plate having overhanging and depending lips 24 adapted to cooperate with the tips 14: of the hooks to close the same and positively retain therein the links L- or the like by which the casing or other object is being supported. It will be noted that the latch plate 22 is sufliciently narrow to be cleared by the links L- when the plate is in open position as in Fig. 3, whereby the links may be lifted from the hooks, and that the bights 12 are sufliciently narrow to accommodate relatively narrow links --L-- which by reason of the relatively sharp curvature thereof will be cleared by the lips 24 when plate 22 is being swung.

In order that said latch plate 22 may be held in closed or operative position, a locking pin 25 is provide which is carried by a lug 26 and engages in an oflset 22 on plate 22 when the latter is locked. The-lug 26 is carried by a latch-retainin 'and abutment nut 28 threaded at 30 into ositionu on the swivel stem 32 which extend integral with the shank 18 of the hook. This stem provides the usual or other desired s upwar from and is swivel mounting such as a nut 34 on its upper porting block 38 which is trunnio'ned at 40 1n reins 42 supported on a in 44 of atraveling block or the like. ince this swivel mounting forms no particular part of the present invention it is not described in further detail. p

In casing hook constructions a bail of inverted U form is generally employed, such forms acquiring varying intensities of bendingnormally due to irregularities of manufacture, by employing a pair of straight arms I or reins 42 the stress imposed by the load is confined'to shearing and tension only.

From the foregolng it will be clear that, l

by suspending the casing or other object being handled upon a pair of links -L or the like and en aging the links over the hooks 12,the weight of the object will be approximately equally divided and supported upon said hooks 12. Thus, the strain is centered upon the shank 18, and the two hook portions In this manner tend to brace each other. tendency toward fatigue in the parts is greatly reduced, and by employing the massive construction shown it is substantially eliminated, while the latch construction with its overhanging lips 24 permits of the hook tips 14 being short.

We claim:

In a hook for handling oil well casin the like, a shank providing a vertica axis, a pair of hooks arranged back to back and supported by said shank, each shank having a thick bight of massive construction to avoid r development of fatigue lines, the loops of said hooks being shallow and providing short hook ends, a relativel narrow closure plate mounted on the shan arranged to rotate thereon in a horizontal plane and having overhanging lips cooperating with the hook ends to enclose and retain casing elevator links and like relatively narrow objects supported on said hi hts and to.

permitsuch objects to be remove from said bights when said lips'are rotated out of engagement with said hook ends, an extension on said shank, an extension on said closure plate, and a locking means en aging said extensions for retaining said 0 osure plate in locked position.

In testimony whereof we aflix our'signatures.

BURT STANLEY MINOR. JAMES J. REGAN. v

and

above the hooks and 

